CRASH investigators yesterday ordered an urgent review of helicopter gears following the North Sea crash which claimed 16 lives – including an oil rig worker from Merseyside.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) also called for a review of the checks used to identify debris particles in helicopter gear boxes.

The AAIB said the failed gearbox could have been removed from service before the accident, if not for the “inappropriate diagnosis” of a debris particle.

Sixteen men died when the Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma crashed on April 1.

They included 33-year-old Jimmy Edwards, from Kirkby, who had a three-year-old son and a 16-month-old daughter,

His wife, Lisa, said after the tragedy: "I can't believe he has been taken from us in this way.”

The 14 passengers and two crew were returning from BP’s Miller platform. In an initial report into the crash, the AAIB said the gearbox of the helicopter had suffered a “catastrophic failure” before crashing.

A second report revealed a small chip of metallic debris had been found on March 25, thirty-four flying hours before the accident, on the gearbox magnetic chip detector which is used to attract any bits of metal which can get into the system.